This invention relates to a garment hanger which has been devised predominantly for suspending skirts and similar garments in tensioned state but which may also be used with advantage for suspending other articles of manufacture.
A known garment hanger for this purpose, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,310, has a base element which comprises two upwardly inclined tensioning arms adapted for carrying a garment or other article at their free ends and hingedly connected to each other or to a central body, and a top element which comprises two downwardly inclined connecting arms, having about half the length of the tensioning arms, said connecting arms being hingedly connected to each other or to a central body and moreover being hingedly connected to the tensioning arms at places about halfway from the tensioning arms. Spring means, for instance leaf springs, located at the position of the hinged connections are provided for urging the top element and base element together. The hanger is completed by a suspension hook connected to the top element.
In this known hanger, the tensioning arms together with the connecting arms, will form a quadrangle wherein the angular points are formed by the hinged connections. This provides a firm construction capable of bearing relatively high weights. Further, the spring means present will ensure a high internal resilience causing the tensioning arms to have a permanent tendency to stretch.
During use, the hanger is introduced into a garment with both tensioning arms in raised position, or loops of the garment are engaged to hooks at the free ends of the tensioning arms, whereupon the tensioning arms are released so as to allow them to stretch and to engage the garment under exertion of a tensioning force. The combination of garment and hanger may then be suspended and stored in a stand or wardrobe.
Advantages of this known hanger are that the hanger is capable of bearing relatively high weights, that skirts or other garments can be suspended in tensioned state and that garments of different sizes will be suspended always at the same height with regard to the suspension hook. A disadvantage may be that this known hanger is of relatively complicated construction and that it will need a relatively high amount of material for its manufacture.